WASHINGTON — Call it the triumph of hope over experience. For the second time in two years, a so-called "supercommittee" of U.S. House and Senate lawmakers — including U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson — has started working on a deal to break the gridlock on Capitol Hill and restore order to the budget process. Aware of past failures, lawmakers on the 29-member panel have downplayed expectations for a "grand bargain" in favor of implementing smaller reforms, including several populist measures being pitched by Nelson, the only Floridian on the committee.

WASHINGTON — Call it the triumph of hope over experience. For the second time in two years, a so-called "supercommittee" of U.S. House and Senate lawmakers — including U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson — has started working on a deal to break the gridlock on Capitol Hill and restore order to the budget process. Aware of past failures, lawmakers on the 29-member panel have downplayed expectations for a "grand bargain" in favor of implementing smaller reforms, including several populist measures being pitched by Nelson, the only Floridian on the committee.

Within an hour after President Clinton unveiled his health-care-reform proposal to Congress on the evening of Sept. 22, Rx Partners, a coalition of six major drug firms, had a squad of company executives available for interviews with television stations around the country.The next morning, three of the executives held a Washington press briefing at which they warned that Clinton's plan, notwithstanding some positive aspects, could pose serious problems for their industry.It wasn't until 2 p.m. that day that the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PMA)

A New Jersey company will move a pharmaceutical packaging plant from New Jersey to Lehigh County , where it is expected to create 283 jobs over the next three years, officials announced Wednesday. Quality Packaging Specialists International is moving a facility from Bergen County to Industrial Park Way in Lower Macungie Township. It is moving into an existing 157,000-square-foot warehouse, where it will invest $10 million for improvements, according to the state. The state offered the company $3.4 million in loans and grants to lure it to Pennsylvania.

Fact 1: The pharmaceutical-manufacturing industry is, by far, the largest single beneficiary of a tax break worth billions of dollars a year to U.S. companies doing business in Puerto Rico.Fact 2: President Clinton has asked Congress to scale back the tax break, by as much as $7 billion over five years.Fact 3: In the last election, the pharmaceutical-manufacturing industry poured $1.8 million into the campaign efforts of candidates who now hold seats in Congress.Can you guess what Fact 4 might be?

BOSTON -- At a time when high drug prices force some Americans to choose between medicines and basic necessities, the outgoing editor of the New England Journal of Medicine attacked the pharmaceutical industry, calling for a study of price controls and urging new laws to curb certain business practices. "The pharmaceutical industry is extraordinarily privileged," Marcia Angell wrote in today's issue. She said drug companies benefit from publicly funded research, tax breaks and other business advantages while reaping big profits.

H. PAUL RICHARDS, 82, 1099 Clay St., Winter Park, died Saturday. Born in Pennsylvania, he moved to Winter Park from St. Petersburg in 1971. He was retired from the pharmaceutical industry and was a Catholic. Survivor: wife, Janis F. Garden Chapel Home for Funerals, Orlando.

The pharmaceutical industry earns at least $36 million more than development costs on each new drug and is able to raise prices for name-brand drugs even after they lose patent protection, a congressional study said Thursday. The study is likely to add fuel to the fire under the pharmaceutical industry, recently attacked by President Clinton for what he called ''shocking prices.'' The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association challenged some of the report's figures as well as its thrust. ''Pharmaceutical R&D is the best hope we have as a nation for breakthrough therapies'' in illnesses, said Bob Allnutt, the association's executive vice president.

The government is opposed. The pharmaceutical industry is opposed. Major political parties are opposed. The Swiss Animal Protection Society is opposed. But Swiss citizens are voting this weekend on whether to prohibit vivisection on vertebrates and ''cruel'' experiments on animals. The referendum is being pushed by Franz Weber, a prominent animal rights activist. The government says that anti-vivisection laws already are the among the strongest in the world. The pharmaceutical industry warns of the loss of thousands of jobs if the measure is approved.

The nation's drug czar, R. Gil Kerlikowske , closely watches how Florida combats the prescription-drug epidemic because the Sunshine State has long been considered a key supply source for powerful, addictive drugs such as painkillers. Kerlikowske, in Central Florida for the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy annual meeting, on Monday spoke to the Orlando Sentinel about the drug issues facing Florida and the country. Q. What's the status of the prescription drug epidemic?

Leslie Molony, 57, recently joined Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute as senior director of business development. With a background in drug discovery, Molony will establish new ventures at the Lake Nona campus. She spoke with Sentinel staff writer Linda Shrieves. CFB: Tell us a little about your background. I'm a scientist by original career and I went into drug discovery in the pharmaceutical industry. I did that for about 15 years and then ended up in business development, licensing and marketing of technologies for pharmaceutical and biotech firms.

Recently, questions have come to light regarding Florida's Blood Centers. As FBC's leader, I find it necessary to clarify what has been said and communicate the measures we are taking to address these issues. First, concerns have been raised regarding our business practices, specifically the governance of our volunteer board of directors. Although FBC has followed the same board guidelines for the past 35 years, we recognize this does not mean that FBC's practices are perfect or in line with the times.

BEIJING -- The medicine cabinet in the average U.S. home is filling with drugs made in China, and some experts say that could be a prescription for trouble. China's booming pharmaceutical industry has doubled exports to the United States in the past five years, undercutting competitors and making American consumers reliant on the safety of Chinese factories and captive to any disruptions in Sino-U.S. commerce. It might seem like merely a trade issue. But industry experts in Europe and the United States say national-security concerns are edging into the debate.

If the FDA weren't wasting so much time propping up the pharmaceutical industry by trying to prevent us having access to herbal remedies and food supplements, perhaps it could more effectively monitor the toxins being slipped into our food. When the healthy snack food, Veggie Tings, turned up with some toxin from China in them, I decided to stick nearly exclusively to fresh, organic produce. It does seem odd that all of a sudden there are all these incidents in Chinese imports. One must wonder why this hasn't been happening periodically.

WASHINGTON -- In a triumph for the pharmaceutical industry, the Senate, on a 49-40 vote, neutralized the latest push to allow drug imports. The Senate vote requires U.S. officials to certify the safety and effectiveness of prescription medicines imported from foreign countries. The vote effectively killed a drive to allow the importation of cheaper prescription drugs from abroad. Florida's Republican Sen. Mel Martinez voted in favor of the bill; Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson voted against it.

Drug companies are keeping their profits high by charging their highest prices to seniors and people with disabilities who can't do without their products. The pharmaceutical industry has argued that high U.S. retail prices are necessary to finance research and development. But every independent study on the pharmaceutical industry shows that profits are a higher priority for drug manufacturers than R&D. Promotion and advertising, not R&D, is the pharmaceutical industry's fastest growing expenditure category.

WASHINGTON -- Florida's Republican Sen. Mel Martinez voted for and Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson voted against this week's Senate bill to require that U.S. officials certify safety and effectiveness of medicines imported from foreign countries. The 49-40 vote, considered a triumph for the pharmaceutical industry, effectively killed a drive to allow the importation of cheaper prescription drugs from abroad.

WASHINGTON -- Florida's Republican Sen. Mel Martinez voted for and Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson voted against this week's Senate bill to require that U.S. officials certify safety and effectiveness of medicines imported from foreign countries. The 49-40 vote, considered a triumph for the pharmaceutical industry, effectively killed a drive to allow the importation of cheaper prescription drugs from abroad.

I just took my three medicines, plus vitamin C. My wife swallowed everything but the refrigerator, and she is the healthy partner. Chances are that by now you've taken your pills today, too. My point being, we who have white thatch on top depend upon costly pharmaceutical aids to keep us well. Employer-provided insurance, boasting a generous drug benefit, allows the Lindemans this privilege. Not every American is so fortunate. Estimates are that one in every four senior women and men either skip drug doses, or neglect to fill the prescription in the first place because the cost is too high.